Banking & finance

World trade is in large part dependent on the availability of reliable and cost-effective sources of financing. This means that banks and other financial institutions play a vital role in facilitating trade-led growth and development.

ICC produces universally accepted rules and guidelines that help business, particularly small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs), access the financing they need to grow.

Banks and other financial institutions help companies engage in world trade, mitigating risks so that goods and services can flow across the globe in a smooth and secure manner. Trade finance is especially crucial for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may lack the resources to advance the necessary funds to import or export valuable goods on their own.

In order to ensure that companies are able to access the financing they need and level the playing field worldwide, ICC produces voluntary rules and guidelines for issues, such as documentary credits, forfaiting, demand guarantees, bank payment obligation and dispute resolution.

In providing this common framework, ICC allows companies and governments around the world to speak the same regulatory language without burdening banks with red tape that could keep them from financing valuable trade opportunities.

Bringing trade finance experts from over 70 countries together, ICC also serves as a forum for those who seek to develop common strategies and standards to free up financing for SMEs, especially in developing countries and emerging markets. ICC’s 2018 Annual Meeting for banking and finance will take place in Miami from 3-6 April.

Global rules

Banking plays an undeniable role in making trade work for all, allowing even small businesses to take risks and conquer new international markets. Banks underpin more than a third of global trade transactions, representing trillions of dollars each year.

Access to trade finance

Many companies, especially SMEs, depend on access to banking services in order to unlock new markets. Trade finance allows companies to mitigate the risks associated with importing or exporting goods and services.

Risk & regulation

The ICC Trade Register provides the essential empirical basis for discussions regarding the treatment of trade financing under the Basel framework, thus allowing ICC to be the leading business organization to meet regulators over the past years.